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They are saying it is a sin because every thing you design will be at a different aspect ratio than what everyone else uses.

It is like when they change movies for television. Movies are in a different aspect ratio than television so when they "Edit it for TV", they simply cut off the sides and you miss any outlying set information or action. This is why widescreen videos have those black bars, it is so you can see all of the movie by basically making the TV's aspect ratio change instead of the other way around.

well, the main difference will be with circles (unless you use constrain options in your application - photoshop, illustrator, whatever - to ensure that you're actually creating circles and not ovals).
one thing that hasn't been mentioned in this thread yet: you can compensate for the skewed ratio by adjusting your monitor correctly...i.e. draw a perfect circle (see above) and then fiddle with your monitor's width/height controls until it appears - subjectively to you - to be a perfect circle. this can, of course also be reversed: even IF you have a screen resolution setting that has a 4/3 ratio, it will do jack if your monitor is not set up to display that ratio properly.
now...let's not get started with colour management...

Always feels good to do some missionary work! Maybe I should start a web site or something? cawar.com? (Crusades Against Wrong Aspect Ratio) Well, perhaps not... Anyone noticed that Wrong Aspect Ratio = WAR? Got to be the devil!

Originally posted by redux now...let's not get started with colour management...

I'd rather we did! Just kidding. But fact is that I'm returning my Samsung Syncmaster 900NF one year after purchase because my friends have told me that some things I do isn't that good looking at all. I didn't understand what they were talking about, my designs always rock the place!

One day on a LAN I sat next to a friend with a Syncmaster 959NF. The 959 is a 900, but with some extra functions. My contrast and brightness controls were really messed up. For one thing, I realised I couldn't get my screen completly black. (Test this by looking at a fullscreen black image, lower the width on your screen to very low. You'll be able to compare the "real" black to your black.) But my friend could.

I tried for hours with different color correction utilities, compared with the 959 but could never get it right. Conclusion: there's something wrong with my monitor.

Now I'm returning it. The warranty covers it, it's just that I've been too lazy to bother. Too much CS and Medal of Honor!

David Andersson Davve
-MSc in Media Technology and Engineering:
Working at AdLibris